Gilbert 23 case: Owners of Green Acre boarding facility appear in court

The owners of the Gilbert boarding facility, where nearly two-dozen dogs died last summer, appeared in court for a status hearing on Thursday.

Animal cruelty charges were dropped against Jesse and Maleisa Hughes several months ago, but the attorney for some of the dog owners is confident those charges will be reinstated.

"This case could dramatically change in the future here, and it's probably something that may happen in the next 30-45 days, that will tell the story in this case," said John Schill, an attorney.

The Hughes are facing one count of fraud schemes. The dogs were under the care of their daughter, Logan Flake, and her husband, Austin, who is the son of Arizona Senator Jeff Flake.

When prosecutors dropped the cruelty charges in December, lawyers for the Hughes' said they were confident those charges would be dropped too.

However, prosecutors dropped those charges so that there was a chance they could refile them some time.